Starting out from Vladivostok
 

Hello everyone,

I have been dormant on the forums for some time and lurking more recently, but I am popping up again as I am finally in Vladivostok, getting ready for the “big one”, crossing Siberia, into Mongolia and then Central Asia. I don’t have an specific itinerary, as I find they go out the window pretty quickly, just a general direction and a time limit: end of September.

I say “getting ready” but I’m really waiting for my KLR to arrive from Cambodia, with the usual shipping complications and delays; apparently my motorbike is arriving at a different “fishing” port, and it’s going to cost more the expected :-/

But I hope to get rolling within a week. I feel like all my previous trips have contributed to this one some way or another to finally decide to tackle this one. I just wanted to say that this forum has been an immense resource to get information that is so hard to find, you guys are amazing! I plan to try and contribute my experiences to the collective knowledge so that others will hopefully follow their dreams on a motorcycle. I know without this forum, I may not have pulled the trigger on this one.

I’ve read a bunch of posts on this forum regarding route planning and advice, including Colebatch’s amazing waypoints (Czesc!) and the recent Kyrgyzstan thread that is really good. I’ll keep searching back in the Northern Asia thread for additional info for my route, but if you guys can point me to any “gems”(especially in my direction) that would be much appreciated.

Right now I’m concentrating on the first leg of the journey - Vlad to Ulan-Ude. I haven’t seen much on interesting points along that route - is it just a bunch of highway to get out of the way, or is there something that I shouldn’t miss? I’m solo at the moment, and my off-road skills are “average”, so I don’t think I’m going to tackle anything like the Old Summer Road or BAM, but I am on a KLR so I think it can hold it’s own and I’ll get more skilled over time. If someone can point me to a thread, I will gladly read it.

And if you have read this far and happen to be in the area, going my direction or the opposite way, let me know. I have a Spot so you can see my location, would be great to meet up for a lunch or a ride sometime.

Again, thanks for being such a great, supportive group from all over the world. I’ve been in IT and on the internet for a long time, and this reminds me of the original promise and potential of the internet, where like-minded people could connect, support each other, make the world seem a lot smaller and less intimidating.

Cheers, and wish me luck,
Dominik.




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Hey Dominik, nice post :) Good luck with your trip!

I too put a few feelers out for information about that Far Eastern part of Russia, but I didn't get much. I think everyone either races through to / from Vladivostok, or heads up to the Kolyma Highway or maybe BAM.

I'm heading that way in a couple of months, and I plan to loop around the region, taking the main highway down to Vladivostok, then sticking to smaller roads close to or on the coastline to loop back to the main road. The region looks hilly and beautiful with a lot of deciduous forest (which is not all that common in Russia) where tigers still roam (though I have no expectations to see one...).

Khabarovsk seems like a nice place to break a trip, and there are some petroglyphs fairly nearby. The Russians are also building a new cosmodrome near Khabarvosk, might see something interesting from the road?

From there I think there is not much to see on the main road; I plan to stop in Birobidzhan which is the capital of an odd, Jewish republic of Russia, and then Blagoveshchensk where you can look across the Amur River into China.

After that there is Nerchinsk, which is interesting probably only if you are really interested in history (Google the Treaty of Nerchinsk if you are interested).

West of Nerchinsk are places I have already been to...

Chita has some nice streets, and Decembrist monuments.

Something I would absolutely not miss is the Datsan (Buddhist Monastery) at Tsugol, which is a magnificent sight; one of only two I think in Russia which survived Stalin's ruthless persecution of religious paraphernalia. The other is nearby in Aginskoye and is also worth seeing (it is more active), though Tsugol is the gem.

The backroads of Buryatia are wonderful, especially the Barguzin Valley just east of Lake Baikal. I went in September when the larches were turning and it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. There are nice Baikal beaches also just south of Ust Barguzin.

Ulan Ude is not a bad place to stop for a while, with some nice Tsarist-era houses in the centre. Then I suppose you will enter Mongolia from Kyakhta.

Alternatively, you could enter Mongolia further east at Solovyevsk which is a slightly more interesting way to enter Mongolia IMO as you make a pretty abrupt transition from the rolling hills of the Trans-Baikal region to the endless grassy plains of eastern Mongolia. On the other hand, you will probably miss Baikal, which is also worth seeing.

This page of my website describes a trip I made in 2010 starting from Kyakhta (coming out of Mongolia), visiting Ulan Ude, the Barguzin Valley, Chita, Aginskoye and Tsugol datsans, and then heading back into Mongolia in Solovyevsk :)

https://eurasiaoverland.com/2010/10/10/23i/

One thing to be careful of in Russia is border zones, which are generally anywhere within 15 to 25 km of an international border. On roads they are clearly marked with a blue sign labelled 'Warning: Zone of the Border Control'. Do not pass these; the penalty is deportation, a fine (not so much) and a 3-5 year ban from Russia. This includes the border town of Kyakhta apparently; a Swiss biker was recently caught there and later refused re-entry into Russia. His bike is still there... So, if you will cross the border at Kyakhta, I recommend you go straight to the border crossing; do not leave the main road! (I had a look round Kyakhta and had no issues, but getting away without being caught does not mean it is legal...).

Will be interested to see if anyone else has some tips of the Russian Far East,

Hope your bike arrives soon :)

EO

Great, that's some great detailed info, I will definitely put Tsugol on the itinerary and see how it goes along the way. I'll also read your trip in more detail, it looks excellent.

More delays with the bike, apparently the Bill of Lading won't be ready until Wednesday... so I'm stuck in Vladivostok and getting restless. Anyone who has been here have any suggestions on things to do in the meantime?

Thanks,
Dominik.


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isnt there a few things to see on ruski island ?
ill be in vlad aug 17th. might see you along the way :)

Get noticed by one of the bike clubs. Iron Angels or folks Russia. They will show you around.

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